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Posts Tagged: Mission Trip

7 Things to Do When Planning a Mission Trip for Teens
If you’re planning a mission trip for a youth group, it can seem overwhelming. Based on our experience, here are things to consider when planning a mission trip for youth:
Check dates with parents early in the process.
Even before October 1 of the year before the Summer mission trip, begin asking parents if they have a family vacation planned or know of camps/activities in the summer you should plan around. Don’t just ask the students to ask their parents. Go to the parents directly. This gives you a good contact… Read More

Registration for the SERVE 2019 teen mission trip season is about to open NOW OPEN and we wanted to let you know about some new things!
If you ever have any questions don't hesitate to contact us.
New SERVE Youth Mission Trip Sites for 2019
Along with many of our loyal returning sites, we are so excited to be adding a few new ones this year. Click on the links below to see their full site descriptions!
Abbotsford, BC
Abingdon, VA
Redlands, CA
Roselawn, IN
Thunder Bay, ON
Wyoming, MI
New Background Check Policy
In year's past, we have… Read More

Looking for fundraising ideas for a short-term mission trip?
Your group is going on a mission trip. That's exciting! But, it can sometimes be difficult for leaders to brainstorm ways for your group as a whole (or individuals going on the mission trip) to raise enough money to go.
We'd like to help you easily come up with some ideas.
Here's a free list of 110 creative fundraising ideas for youth mission trips or other church group mission trips to get you started.
P.S. Want to print this list or read it as an eBook on your Kindle?
Download our entire list of mission trip fundraising… Read More

I have a confession; I am terrible at self-care. I have a suspicion that I’m not the only one. Too often female youth leaders are the worst offenders when it comes to neglecting rest. We care for our families and then turn around and care for the leaders and students in our churches and communities. There is always so much to do and too few hours in the day. And yet, God in his wisdom, requires us to rest, to Sabbath every week.
It’s often during our busiest times that we need to rest the most. And while every week is busy, the busiest week of the year, in my experience, is always… Read More

When you go on a SERVE trip, it’s pretty obvious that you have to work as a team in order to get anything done. One example in nature of God’s design for teamwork is that of ants. Ants have to work as a team to get anything done, and when the team works together, well, they all get to succeed! But in a team, not everyone can take on the same role, even ants have different jobs. What kind of “SERVE”-Ant are you?
Fire Ant- Fire Ants are passionate about their service. They are often so excited and determined that their passion can rub off on their team members. Fire ants are… Read More

I've never been on SERVE, yet I work at Youth Unlimited. Sometimes that seems weird, and sometimes it makes complete sense.
When I was in college, near the end of my freshman year, I had an intriguing epiphany. After a year with a "just okay" Resident Assistant, I knew I could be a Resident Assistant with greater intentionality, and maybe have a greater impact on my fellow students in that position than my RA had on us. In that moment, I realized when people choose to follow in someone's footsteps, to pursue a passion that may not have always been their own, it's usually either because… Read More

You should know that each host team for SERVE works nearly year-round to prepare for the week-long SERVE experience. So when the students and their leaders begin to walk through the doors on those warm Saturday afternoons, there is no feeling quite like the joy we have to welcome them!
Prairie SERVE out here in Sioux City/Sergeant Bluff, Iowa just wrapped up its third year. Each SERVE experience is unique and memorable, to be sure, but as a host team member, I can honestly say Prairie SERVE gets sweeter by the year.
The temperatures were high this year, but the joy of the Lord as… Read More

The following is an excerpt from our Spring 2016 magazine. To view the whole magazine, click here.
A Thread in the Tapestry
by Kyle De Boer
Joining forces for the third straight year, three Montana congregations are collaborating to host Gallatin Valley SERVE. We are an eclectic bunch with diverse gifts. Farmers and ranchers work side-by-side with educators and entrepreneurs. The unique community of volunteers for GV SERVE is the locale in which youth and adults offer their gifts for something greater than themselves. SERVE volunteers and participants are the needed characters… Read More

The following post is from How to Plan a Mission Trip. To view the original post, click here.
For years, I have invited long term missionaries to the trainings I do with short termers. One story in particular stood out… the missionary recounted how the remoteness of their field left little room for luxury. Each time they returned to the USA, they brought back a package of Twinkies for the freezer. On a family member’s birthday, they pulled one out… put a candle in it… and sang Happy Birthday.
One summer, a short term team came. The missionaries offered the typical “mi… Read More

The following is an excerpt from our Winter 2016 Magazine. To view the whole magazine, click here.
Aaron Au
Q. Where could we find you at 10:00 AM on a Saturday morning?
A. One of the incredible Farmer's Markets that we have in Edmonton. I love the local produce and goods.
Q. What’s your favorite place to meet with students, and why?
A. I often meet students (or anyone for that matter) at our local, neighbourhood coffee shop, the Carrot Arts Coffeehouse. Our neighbourhood plays such an integral role in the lives of my wife and me and our church plant and the Carrot… Read More

The following is an excerpt from our Winter, 2016 Magazine. To view the whole magazine, click here.
An Introduction to the 2016 Serve Theme Adapted from the 2016 Spiritual Life Guide
I can remember my friends saying that over and over in my life. Sometimes it was with wide eyes, searching to see how I was going to cope with tremendous pain; like the time I was 9 and tried to jump my bike over some barrels – epic wipeout. Or the time I was running hurdles in high school, miss stepped and face planted into the track. Other times they could hardly get the words out, because they… Read More

by Tim Ryan
Director of Junior High Ministries
West Shore Evangelical Free Church
The following is an excerpt from our Winter 2016 Magazine. To view the whole magazine, click here.
I was blessed with the opportunity to take a group of senior high student mentors and special needs students to the Fruitland Special Needs Serve in July. As a youth pastor, I've had many opportunities to take students on mission trips, but I've never experienced anything quite like a Special Needs Serve!
First, we experienced the embrace of the entire church family. I was personally blown away by… Read More